CAPCOM NOW OPEN TO BUYOUT

Capcom announced today that it will not be renewing its takeover defense, and is now open to a buyout, should a third party company buy a large enough share of Capcom stock.

Up until now, Capcom's takeover defense, which was originally instituted in 2008, has kept any company from acquiring Capcom directly through its shareholders. This method, known as a hostile takeover, is now possible following the shareholders' decision not to renew the countermeasure.

The company said it "will react to take steps to ensure disclosure of the position of the board of directors," and also make sure "there is sufficient time for shareholders to examine the proposed large-scale purchase and reach a decision."

In April, Capcom began construction on its second research and development center in Osaka, Japan after announcing a $78 million plan to expand and increase focus on internal game development. The plan also included hiring 100 new developers per year, in the hopes of having 2,500 on staff by 2022.

As for existing Capcom developers, Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono announced yesterday that he is leaving Capcom Vancouver, where he most recently worked on Dead Rising 3. Although it's unclear whether Ono is leaving Capcom completely, he did say he needed time to think about his next step.[/align:1k9i1xqy]

Source: IGN